Improvement in junction service-boxes for street steam-mains



W. W.. & 1:". N. TREVOR. Junction Service-Boxes for Street Steam-Main.

No. 221,479. Patented Nov. 11,1879.

292 U6 lz izan/1 PATENT OFFICEc WILLIAM W. TRE-VOR AND FRANCIS N.TRFVOIR, OF LOGKPORT, N-EV YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN JUNCTION SERVICE-BOXES FOR STREET STEAM-MAINS.

Specification forming part of'Lettcrs Patent No. 221,479, dated November11, 1879; application filed August 28, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that we, WILLIAM W. TREVOR and FRANCIS N. Tanvon, ofLockport, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have inventeda certain new and useful lmpro vementin Junction Service-Boxesfor StreetSteam-Mains 5 and we do hereby declare th atthe followingis a full,clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanyin g drawings, in which- 'Figure 1 is a plan of ourimprovement. Fi g. 2 is a similar View with the top of the valvechestremoved. Fig. 3 is a section in linexx. Fig. 4 is a section in line y y.

Our improvement relates to street steampipes laid in cities and townsfor heating and other purposes; and it consists in an improvedconstruction ofthe junction-boxes where the steam is taken from the maininto servicepipes, as hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings,A A represent two connectingsections ot' a streetsteam-main, through which the steam is forced under pressure from aboiler, as usual. These sections are connected by a slip-joint orexpansion-joint, as shown at a, suitably packed and arranged in such amanner that the pipe can expand and contract under differenttemperatures.

B is the valve chest or chamber, which consists of a hollow apartmentsurrounding the pipe A at the point where the servicevpipes C O areentered.

Through the top ofthe steam-main are made two ports, b b, openingupward, respectively, into two diagonal chambers, c c, separated by apartition, d; and through the bottom of the steam-main is made 011e ormore ports, f, openlng into a chamber, g, below the pipe, The chambers cc g are connected by ports h h, and the two upper chambers, c c,communicate on opposite sides with the service-pipes C C.

and la k are four valves, covering, respectively, the port-s b b and hh, the same having stems l l extending up through the top of thevalve-chest, and provided with hand-wheels 'm m, or other suitabledevices, by which they are operated. These valves are ltted the same asordinary globe-valves', the valvestem passing throughstufling-boxes andbeing operated by screw-threads on the stems. The whole service-box isso, arranged as to be readily reached by removing a cover or door at thesurface ot' the ground.

-The operation is as follows: When the valves are all open the steamfrom main A can pass indiscriminately through all the ports and enterthe service-pi pes U C. By closing the npper valves, i i, as shown inFig. 3, the steam is forced to pass down through port f, and thence upthrough ports h h to reach the service-pipes. By closing valves 7c laand opening valves t' the steam is shut oft' from below, and is forcedto pass up through the ports b b at the top of the pipe, and thencearound through chambers c c to the service-pipes.

The arrangement above described is of great importance, as it enableseither dry or wet steam to be used. When the steam is forced downward toreach the service-pipes, as at first described, it carries with it intothe service-pipes the waters of condensation which gather in the lowerchamber, g, as a trap; also the water in the main, and thereby forceseach user to draw his quota of the saine, instead of allowing the watersto collect in a low place and give an undue proportion to the users atthat point. By this means the steam is equitably distributed and thewaters of condensation are drawn off without difficulty.

On the other hand, in the running of engines and for many other uses itis necessary to use the dry steam and not force the waters ofcondensation into the service-pipes. In such case, by shutting off thelower valves and opening the upper ones this effect is accomplished. Thewhole work is done from the outside by simply operating the valves,thereby avoiding the necessity of opening the box, which has heretoforebeen required.

The device is much simpler, cheaper, and is in more compact form thanthe service-boxes heretofore in use. Being smaller and more compact,less surface is presented for radia. tion and consequent loss of heat.

The chamber B and a section of the steammain are preferably cast in onepiece and the main pipe connected to one end of said section by beingscrewed in and to the other by the expansion-joint a,- or, if desired,the `expansion-joint may be located in the pipe at a dis= tance from thejunction with the Servicebox section.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new is l. In asystem of street steam-pipes, the combination, with the steam-main A, ofthe hollow chamber B, surrounding said main, with Service-pipes C Copening from said chamber, the main communicating with said chamber byports at the top or bottom, and valves situated Within the chamber forcontrolling the steam, as described.

2. In a system of' street steam-pipes, the combination, with the mainpipe A, of the chamber B, divided into compartments c c g, with ports bb f opening from the main pipe into said compartments, and ports h hopening' from the lower into the upper compartments, said ports b b andh h beingr covered by valves 'iand k k, as shown and described, and forthe purpose specified.

3. In a system of street steam-pipes, the

combination of the main pipe A, provided with ports b b andf at its topand bottom, the compartments c c g surrounding said main pipe, andprovided with lateral service-pipes C C, and a system of valves, 'i t'and k k, arranged in connection with ports b b and h h, to admit thesteam from the main pipe to the service-pi pes, either through the upperor lower compartments, as herein described.

4. 1n combination with a steam-main pipe, A A', the inclosing-chamber B,provided with lateral service-pipes C O, and arranged with a diaphragmhaving valves ik, as shown and described, and for the purpose specified.

In witness whereof we have hereunto signed our names in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM W. TREVOR. FRANCIS N. TREVOR. Witnesses J AMES F. Frr'rs, ALFREDHOLMES.

